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Published 13:10 15 Jun 2022 BST
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"It means a lot, going back to history and tradition and putting your name on trophies that have the legends of the game on them. That's really cool, and that's something that money can't buy. "Legacy, reputation, at the end of the day that's all you have. You strip everything away, and you're left with how you made people feel and what people thought of you. That is important to me."One trophy that is associated with tradition, history and has been won by many legends of the game is The Players' Championship. It is a tournament that McIlroy won, in 2019, and one that could yet be the silver bullet for a PGA Tour than could badly do with one, right now. [caption id="attachment_78042" align="aligncenter" width="647"]
Rory McIlroy pictured at TPC Stadium course in Florida, at the 2016 Players Championship. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)[/caption]
"I'll admit, up front, this is a stupid idea - it would cause a lot uproar and controversy - but, if I was Jay Monahan, I would buy the Hall of Fame and I would declare The Players Championship a major, the next morning. "I would say, 'You decide you want to play on the LIV Tour, that's fine. We're declaring this a major, and you won't be allowed compete for it'. "You could grant everyone that played [and won] it before a major, give Tiger his majors. But I'd say, 'You know what, we don't control the [other] majors, but now we do have one'. Why not? ... We're doing it, and if you don't like it, fight us on it. "It would be seen as a bold, even ridiculous, move but it would be something. It would at least give them some card to play. "If Rory McIlroy gets to rack up majors by playing against a weakened field, at least there's another compelling reason for himself and Justin Thomas to be like, 'Yeah, I want to compete for all five majors'."At present, although the majors are seen as the crown jewels of the PGA Tour, it has no direct say on qualifying criteria for the US Open and The Open Championship. The US PGA would likely allow LIV participants to compete in future tournaments, while the US Masters may yet side with the PGA Tour and not allow LIV golfers to compete at Augusta National. [caption id="attachment_24169" align="aligncenter" width="630"]
Rickie Fowler won The Players Championship, at TPC Sawgrass, in May 2015. (Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR)[/caption]
21 - Jack Nicklaus (+3 TPC titles) 17 - Tiger Woods (+2) 11 - Walter Hagen 9 - Ben Hogan and Gary Player 7 - Phil Mickelson and Lee Trevino (+1) 3 - Fred Couples and Davis Love III (+2), Greg Norman and Justin Thomas (+1)Interestingly, were Western Open titles considered as 'fifth majors', Tiger Woods would have three extra, Jack Nicklaus only two, like Arnold Palmer, with Water Hagen getting an additional five. *Other multiple major winners include Tom Watson (8), Harry Vardon, Gene Sarazen, Bobby Jones, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer (7), none of whom won The Players Championship.
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